Month: February 2016

“Useppa Home Companion”

Saturday, February 20^th, 2016

By UseppaGin

Live on stage in the Tarpon Bar on lovely Useppa Island Florida, an old-fashioned radio show, “Useppa Home Companion” starred neighbors and friends.

Sponsored by the Useppa Island Historical Society, characters from Garrison Keillor’s “Prairie Home Companion” settled in for the evening. Dan O’Connell in sports jacket, red tie and red sneakers was emcee and storyteller. Shane Swigert was his “mom” in one skit, Paul Miller’s wife in another. Allie Lindhorst sang a solo and harmonized in duets with Miller. In “Making Whoopie” they were at their best. The audience loved them.

Brady Stokes collected cast off script pages. Paul Swigert was the Sound Man working with Karen Connery. Linda Colgan and Kurt Stocker were everywhere in ads and skits.

Useppa year rounder Ginny Amsler read two of her poems, “The Coach and Miss Barbara,” about Island icons Bob and Barbara Sumwalt, and “Bearded Man and Shaggy Dog: True Story… Almost,” about old neighbor and friend Barney King and rescue dog Trouble.

The show was the brainchild and directed by Museum Director Rona Stage.

Good Times on Useppa

Photos by UseppaGin

From the beach on Cayo Costa, to lunch on the Collier Inn patio….

From taking pictures of birds and dogs to chance encounters with Island visitors….

From a visit with University of Florida and Useppa archeologist Bill Marquardt to celebrating Warren Miller’s 86^th birthday….

Life on Useppa is always fun.

Being on Useppa is a gift

Super Bowl, Super Party on Useppa

Photos by UseppaGin

Panthers vs. Broncos. Old friends and new, pizza and beer, good times and cheers, all add up to a Useppa Super Bowl Party at the Tarpon Bar. Respectful silence during the National Anthem, and then, constant noise from the kickoff to the game ending last whistle. There are few better places to watch football than on Useppa.

Incoming Current & Shifting Breeze

Useppa Yacht Club Races, February 6, 2016

By Bob Stevens, Race Committee

Nice morning.  We saw breeze at about 8 knots to start, and it quietly settled all morning, then shifted abruptly to the west.  Caught me unable to set a finish line, and to get the final race off very well.  Perfectly lousy starting line, with my boat not knowing just what to do with the incoming current and the shifting breeze.  Sorry to have such a sad looking starting line for the third race!

But, six boats were out this morning: Bill and Sherry Welch in Purrfect, Paul Beisswenger and Michael Carmichael in Spirit –changing skippers/crew along the way, Ed King and Kim Lockhart in Coot — changing skippers along the way, Ray George and Jim Doherty in Little 7 Up, Kurt Stocker and Tony Colgan showed up in Ragtime — they too, changed skippers, and John Coyle was out in Sink ‘r Swim.

We got in three races, the first two were twice around the windward/leeward course, and the final once just once around.  The big news for the day was Kim Lockhart, at the helm for the first time ever, winning the second race, with Ed King as his crew aboard Coot.  Nice work, Kim!!

Spirit managed a first, a second and a third this morning, Purrfect did the same, a first, second, and a third.  Coot had Kim’s first effort win and two third place finishes.  So, each of the three won a race this morning, and they all finished in the top three each race.  I had Ginny Amsler aboard as help this morning, and Stu and Diana were out moving marks with their usual diligence and attention.  My thanks to all three.

Thanks to Bill Newbold, of Bill’s Grille fame, who did the grilling.  Thanks to Kay Chapin, and all the rest who helped with lunch on the beach.